RALEIGH, N.C. — Morgan Rielly has been through a lot in his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The longest-serving Toronto player had three assists in a 4-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center on Sunday. Although he's pleased to put up points when he's been criticized for his lack of offensive production at times this season, the defender was happy to see his team pick up a pair of wins over the weekend in games where there hasn't been a lot of offense.
‘It's Nice To Know That Back-To-Backs Are Over’: Maple Leafs End Grueling Schedule Stretch, One Point Away From Claiming Atlantic Division CrownThe Toronto Maple Leafs have officially reached the end of the most grueling stretch in their season — and they’ve done so by earning their 50th win of the year.
"It's big. You know, it's not something that we've done a lot in the past, but if you look at games recently, it's all been close. And I mean, that's what we're expecting here moving forward," Rielly said after the game. "It's a good opportunity for our best to come to out. It can be nerve-wracking when you're in these close games. The more you do it and the more you are able to execute and rely on your structure and end up on top, it's a good feeling."
This year is different in many ways. Outside of the personnel change of bringing in head coach Craig Berube in the summer and picking up a shot-blocking leading defenseman like Chris Tanev, there's been a clear change in the way the team has defended.
On Saturday, they played a desperate Montreal Canadiens club looking to clinch a playoff berth. They did that while limited to just five defensemen with Jake McCabe and Oliver Ekman-Larsson out due to undisclosed injuries. One day later, the Leafs beat against a Hurricanes team that has consistently had Toronto's number over the last few years, a big confidence boost at the club completed its 16th and final instance of games on back-to-back nights.
"That's just something that I want to be able to do and other guys want to be able to do as well. That works out. It's good. But right now, I think we're all collectively trying to focus on the team game.
Woll making his case
Over the last few weeks, it looked like a given that Anthony Stolarz was a shoo-in to get the nod for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. While he hasn't really fallen from that pole position, given his impressive .950 save percentage in his four April starts, Joseph Woll has performed well in recent games, with a .952 save percentage in his last two appearance.
